by D. S. Butler
Babs fought back a chuckle. “I promise to pretend not to notice if I see any black bits.”
She paused and then asked, “You said Ruby… Is Derek home, too?”
Tony’s expression grew a little more guarded. “He will be. He’ll probably be there by the time we get back.”
Babs smiled again and nodded, feeling satisfied. Then she reached out to touch Tony’s leg as he drove the car away from the kerb.
“Thank you,”
“What for?” Tony asked with an amused smile.
“For being the person I can always rely on. I can’t tell you what your support meant to me while I was inside, Tony.”
Tony reached down and patted her hand, which was still on his thigh. “What’s all this? Don’t tell me prison has turned you soft,” he teased.
As they drove away from the prison, Babs had a strange feeling she was being watched. As she turned to look out of the passenger window, she saw a man standing on the opposite side of the road to the prison. He had a grey scarf wrapped around his face, but the car was travelling too fast for her to see much else.
She shivered.
She was overemotional today. Because she was overwrought, she imagined problems when there weren’t any.
She was going home, and all she had to worry about was dealing with Martin before that bitch, Mean Maud, woke up and her testimony sent Babs back to prison.
* * *
Linda had decided to take an extra-long lunch break. She needed to tell Mary she was engaged to Tim before anyone else broke the news. Ideally, she should have spoken to Mary last night, but Tim had insisted they keep their reservation at the posh restaurant so they could celebrate. And Linda didn’t have the heart to turn him down.
Last night, they’d walked into the restaurant arm in arm, and Linda was delighted to see Big Tim scrubbed up well. He’d had his suit custom–made, and it fitted him like a glove.
At first, Linda had been a little self-conscious, imagining everyone was watching them and thinking they didn’t belong in such a nice restaurant, but after she’d had a glass of wine, Linda had relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed herself.
At the back of her mind, though, she couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. No matter how happy she was, there was still that doubt niggling away, which wouldn’t allow her to completely relax and enjoy the moment.
She thought perhaps once she had talked things over with Mary, she would have peace of mind.
She walked around the back of Mary’s house, letting herself into the backyard, and waving at Mary through the kitchen window.
Mary opened the back door wide and smiled at Linda. “Hello, Linda, love. I don’t often see you at this time of day. What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to have a quick word, Mary. That’s if you’re not too busy?”
Mary nodded at the sink where she had just been peeling and chopping up some vegetables. “To tell you the truth, I would welcome a little break. Can I get you a cup of tea?”
“That would be lovely.”
Linda sat down at the kitchen table while Mary prepared the tea, and she filled Mary in on some of her news, including telling her that Mr Bevel was still unwell, which was the only reason Linda had dared take an extra-long lunch break.
When Mary had finished preparing the tea, she brought it over to the kitchen table and poured them both a cup before sitting down.
“Now, Linda, I can tell you have something troubling you. What is it?”
Linda allowed herself to smile. After all, it was happy news she was delivering, wasn’t it?
“Well, it’s not troubling me. It’s news I wanted to share with you. Last night, Tim proposed, and I accepted.”
She said the words quickly, anxiously delivering the news as fast as possible.
She watched Mary’s face carefully for a response, but the older woman just stared at her.
“Say something, Mary. Aren’t you happy for me?”
“You can’t marry him, Linda. Not someone like that. You don’t know what he’s done in the past.”
Mary may not have verbalised it, but Linda knew what she was getting at.
“I don’t think he was involved in anything awful,” she said. “Now I’ve got to know him, I’m sure he is a good man, and I’m convinced there’s no way he could have done anything to hurt Kathleen.”
At the mention of her daughter’s name, Mary tensed.
Before she could reply, the back door opened again, and Jimmy stepped inside.
He seemed oblivious to the tension in the air. “Hello, Linda. Have you taken a sneaky break from Bevels? Congratulations, by the way. Tim told us. He hasn’t stopped smiling today.”
“What are you doing home, Jimmy?” Mary demanded, her tone sharp.
Jimmy turned around and looked at his grandmother in surprise. “I spilt some tea on my shirt. I thought I’d better bring it home to soak out the stain and put a new one on.”
“And why weren’t you wearing your overalls? Isn’t that what they’re for, to protect your clothes?”
Jimmy opened his mouth to explain, but Mary didn’t give him a chance. “I have better things to do with my time than wash yet another shirt for you, Jimmy, my boy. So be more careful in future.”
Jimmy frowned. Mary normally doted on him, and he immediately knew something was wrong.
“Nan, what is it? What’s the matter?”
Mary got up and walked to the sink, leaning heavily on the edge of the counter. “Nothing. I’m just not looking forward to having another bleeding shirt to wash.”
Jimmy met Linda’s eye, and she gave a gentle shake of her head before she got to her feet, too.
“I’d better get back to work. I’ll speak to you later, Mary?”
Mary’s face was blank as she turned to Linda and nodded. “Goodbye, Linda.”
Linda dashed out of Mary Diamond’s kitchen, through the backyard and then out into the alleyway. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes.
Why did Mary have to be so mean? She understood the woman was upset about her daughter, but surely she could see Linda needed to move on and have a life of her own. Did she really expect Linda to turn Tim down and lose her one chance at happiness just because Tim used to work for Martin Morton?
The more Linda thought about it, the more she was convinced there was no way Tim would have had anything to do with Kathleen’s death. People were afraid of him because of his size, but she had never known a more decent, kind and loving man, and she wasn’t about to give him up.
Chapter 36
Trevor Carter’s first full morning at his father’s workshop hadn’t exactly gone smoothly.
He’d known his father long enough to realise he wasn’t going to get a top position straightaway, but still, he had assumed he would be doing a little more than making the tea.
The highlight of his morning so far was getting a set of tools ready before Jimmy started working on an old Ford Cortina.
That had been irritating. Jimmy had thanked him in a condescending way, and Trevor just raged silently.
He was sure Jimmy Diamond was enjoying this. He loved to lord it over Trevor.
To be honest, he didn’t feel very welcome at the workshop. Of course, Georgie was delighted his brother was working side-by-side with him, but everyone else seemed to regard him warily and were not friendly.
He’d been around the workshop long enough to realise that the lads normally laughed and joked during the day, but today, everyone was subdued, and Trevor got the distinct impression that was because of him.
He didn’t care. He didn’t want to be their friend anyway. When he was the boss, he would have their respect and that would be enough.
Trevor was currently standing behind Charlie Williams and watching him do a full service.
Charlie turned around to Trevor and said, “Right, let me watch you check the oil level.”
Trevor rolled his eyes. He might not be a mechanical engineer, but he’d spent most of his
life around cars. He was perfectly capable of checking the oil without someone looking over his shoulder.
But he remembered his father’s comments at the breakfast table yesterday morning and put his irritation aside.
He nodded at Charlie. “Fine.”
He made quick work of checking the oil, and Charlie smiled at him. “Good job, Trevor.”
When Charlie stuck his head beneath the hood and began tinkering away, Trevor looked in the direction of the large workshop doors. The day was dragging. He still had the whole afternoon to go. He wasn’t used to working for a full day.
“Trevor, are you listening?”
Trevor turned back to face Charlie. “What was that?”
Charlie pursed his lips. “I was just saying that I’m going to top up the coolant with some antifreeze. Would you like to watch and see how it’s done?”
Trevor would have liked to reply, “No, stick your antifreeze where the sun don’t shine.” But he imagined that wouldn’t go down very well if his father found out, so instead, he simply shrugged. “All right.”
He folded his arms and leant against the bodywork as Charlie got to work.
Charlie undid the cap and took his time draining the coolant. He then took a bottle of antifreeze and topped it up slowly.
When he was done, he replaced the cap then turned to Trevor.
“See, that wasn’t so hard. Soon we’ll have you doing jobs like that.”
Trevor screwed up his face. Was it possible for Charlie Williams to be any more patronising?
“I can hardly wait,” Trevor said sarcastically, but his sarcasm seemed to bounce off Charlie as he got back to work on the car.
He jerked his thumb at the puddle of oil on the floor and said, “Clean that up, would you, Trevor? And then you can give this car a clean. I’ll drive it out into the yard for you.”
Trevor’s jaw dropped. It was bleeding brass monkeys out there. It would be horrible to be sticking his hands into a bucket of water and then out into the freezing air.
He opened his mouth to tell Charlie exactly what he thought of his idea and then closed it abruptly again when he saw Georgie watching him.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “I’ll do it.”
* * *
When Tony drew up outside the Morton family house, Babs felt tearful all over again. She fumbled with the car door handle, not bothering to wait for Tony to turn off the engine and then come around to open the door for her.
Ruby appeared at the front door, and Babs let out a whoop of pleasure.
She threw open the door, jumped out and ran up the steps to pull her daughter into her arms.
“Oh, Ruby, it’s so good to be home. I’ve missed you so much.”
Ruby pulled her mother inside, laughing and chatting happily as they left Tony to carry Babs’s possessions back into the house.
“There is someone here to see you,” Ruby announced.
The smile left Babs’s face, and she licked her lips nervously. She hoped Ruby was referring to Derek. She wasn’t sure she was strong enough to come face-to-face with Martin just yet.
Babs stepped inside the kitchen and saw Derek standing in the middle of the room.
He took her breath away. He was so tall and handsome. There was no doubt he looked like his father, but somehow that suave coldness fitted him. She wasn’t surprised he’d done so well at school and university. He looked like a posh bloke.
All of a sudden, Babs felt awkward in front of her own son. Was he embarrassed by her? Of course, he was. He must have been embarrassed about having a convict for a mother.
“Derek, lovely to see you, son.” Babs said, trying to pronounce the words carefully and hide her East End accent as much as possible.
But his face had broken into a grin. Derek had one of those smiles that seemed to light his face from within. He looked cynical and cool when his face was at rest, but when he smiled, Babs reckoned he could rival a film star with his good looks.
He stepped forward and swept his mother into his arms. “Good to have you home, Mum.”
He pressed his lips against her forehead, and Babs clung to him as though she never wanted to let go.
It was all so overwhelming. Both Ruby and Derek were talking at once, just like old times, teasing each other and laughing, and Babs stood in the centre of the kitchen, her eyes shining with happy tears. She’d forgotten what real happiness was like.
Ruby fixed them tea, unwrapped the plates of sandwiches and announced she had made a cake for afters.
“It’s not exactly up to Grandma Violet’s standards, but I covered all the burnt bits with icing, so I don’t think it will be too bad.”
Babs shot a look at Tony and tried hard not to laugh.
Derek was the first to try the cake. He took a bite and pulled a face. “Good grief, Ruby. You’d better spend some more time in the kitchen with Grandma Violet.”
Ruby glared daggers at him. “It’s not that bad.” But then doubt shadowed her face as she turned to her mum. “Is it?”“It’s the best thing I’ve eaten in ages,” Babs said squeezing her daughter’s hand.
She wished it could go on like this forever.
Unfortunately, only moments later, they heard the front door open.
Babs froze. She knew she couldn’t put off talking to Martin for much longer, but she really hoped it wasn’t him.
“Hello, only me.” Violet Morton’s voice echoed down the hall.
“It’s Grandma Violet,” Ruby whispered quietly. “I hope you don’t mind. She wanted to come and see you. In fact, she was here earlier, but I asked her to give us a bit of time on our own with you first.”
Babs’s face was rigid as she waited for Violet to make her way down the hallway and into the kitchen.
“You don’t mind do you, Mum?” Ruby asked again.
Babs shook her head. “Of course not. I’ll have to see everyone eventually. I can’t keep you all to myself.”
Violet Morton entered the kitchen, looking as formidable as always.
“Babs.”
“Violet,” Babs said, inclining her head.
“I know we had our differences in the past,” Violet began, “but I want you to know I’m very happy you’re home. Your place is here with your children.”
Babs had been sure Violet was going to make trouble. But truth be told, she was surprised that Violet Morton had moved out without Babs having to kick up a fuss. She knew that Violet had made herself quite comfortable, settling in and taking over Babs’s place while she was inside.
Violet had it in her power to make Babs’s life very difficult, and right now, Babs did not need any more enemies.
“I appreciate that, Violet. And I would like to thank you for taking such good care of Ruby and Derek when I couldn’t.”
Violet gave a small smile, and Ruby got up from the table to pour her grandmother a cup of tea. Violet sat down at the kitchen table and patted Derek on the shoulder.
Babs felt as though they had come to an understanding. She hoped so. Violet Morton had been the bane of her life after she married Martin. She would never believe that Violet would be on her side, but as long as she wasn’t actively trying to sabotage Babs, that would be good enough.
The front door opened again, and Babs froze when she heard Martin’s voice.
“Hello,” he called out, and the sound of his voice caused a shiver to run up her spine.
Ruby shot up from her chair and walked quickly out of the kitchen and into the hallway.
She was trying to be quiet, but everyone in the kitchen could hear every word.
“Please be nice, Dad.”
Martin chuckled. “I’m always nice.”
Babs held her breath. She heard his footsteps getting closer and closer. When Martin appeared in the doorway, she bit down on the inside of her mouth.
His lips worked into a smile. “Hello, Babs, long time no see.”
“Hello, Martin.”
She realised how tightly she was gripping her cup
, and with some effort, relaxed her hands.
“I thought we should have a little chat,” Martin said. “What do you say we have a little chinwag in the front room?”
Babs got up shakily from the kitchen table, trying not to show her nerves as she left the kitchen and followed Martin into the front room.
She perched on the sofa and took the cigarette he handed her. She noticed when he lit her cigarette that his hand was as steady as they’d always been. Nerves never got the better of Martin.
She didn’t want to look directly at him, so she looked at the wall opposite her. Even her front room looked different. They’d decorated. She judged from the pattern it had been Violet picking out the wallpaper. At least the settee and the matching armchairs were the same.
“How are we going to play this, Babs?” Martin said dryly as he sank down into one of the armchairs.
A laugh escaped her lips. “Is it really up to me?”
Martin shrugged and took a drag on his cigarette. “It is entirely your choice. If you are prepared to toe the line, then I am prepared to let you keep all this.” He gestured at the room around them, but Babs knew he meant her place in the East End with her family.
She felt the desire to laugh again. It was a pathetic life, but she didn’t want to antagonise Martin. Not yet.
“And if I want to play a role in the business?” Babs asked boldly.
Martin smiled coldly. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea, do you?”
Chastised, Babs’s cheeks burned, and she broke eye contact with Martin and then stared down at the floor. Her hands twisted in her lap.
“You should be happy to keep your home and spend time with your kids like a normal woman,” Martin continued, pointing at her with his cigarette. “And while you’re at it, you should have a word with your daughter and tell her to rein in her ideas.”
